Well - an 'interesting' wedding rehearsal certainly...

MBFGW off Telly

Guess I'd better be careful not to mention any names...

A bit like something out of 'My big fat gypsy wedding' - certainly the wedding party didn't know one end of a wedding service (or Mass) from another (although I've not seen the TV programme so not entirely sure if that's a fair criticism). Father wasn't backing down, and said he'd never known a wedding rehearsal like it: there had to be a 'shake hands and say you're sorry' moment at the end. My gosh!

The music selected has all the sophistication of Cafe Nero - it works and all that, and most of the time it's probably fine, but you wouldn't want it on your wedding day:

Mendehlssohn - Wedding March

Wagner - Bridal Chorus

(1 Corinthians 13 for good measure)

Ave Maria - Schubert

Lord of the Dance

Give me joy in my heart

All things bright and beautiful

(well you might want bits of it, but put all together I reckon it's a bit of overkill...)

Please forgive me if I'm being a purist/snobbish etc. but it's not looking like the classiest service in town. By classiest, perhaps I mean 'thought through', 'personalised', 'individual', 'tailored', 'bespoke'; all that sort of thing.

The ecstasy of St Teresa

Long chat with Mum last night about the sorts of things that a chap needs to chat about every now and again: thanks Ma, you were a brick as always. A friend of mine's Mum passed away very recently - I dread to think of how that must feel. Meanwhile, mine is still an absolute rock, and so wise. What with Dad being on increasing detachment with La-La squadron in Alzheimers Land, there's so much pressure on her and she does so well.

Ant bought me breakfast again today - thank Ant! The sun is doing its level best to peep through the clouds here which I'm grateful for, sitting at a pavement table at Clapham Common with the traffic 20 feet away and the joggers and dog walkers etc. slipping past. London is v.quiet at the moment - that was the gossip down at St Paul's bookshop yesterday too - that the expected hordes of theological tourists hav' na materialised with the Olympics: the papers have had their little headlines about how the 'stay out of London' traffic forecasts have worked too well, and there's no-one around to buy Wenlock and Mandeville cuddly toys from Peter Jones (yes- they do stock them: ground floor I think).

Talking of Peter Jones - our Gatesdene friend by the same name as the esteemed Sloane Square shop has just facebook-announced his engagement: Congrats Sir!


May I suggest some wedding music...???

An interesting point in the book I was dipping into today on Teresa of Avila in the light of my thoughts about the wedding service mentioned above, was that one of the stages of sin is 'wanting to be different'. I think I see what is meant: asking the unusual question, not for the sake of wanting to find out the answer and all that, but for wanting to be seen to be asking the difficult question - drawing attention to yourself and wanting to be remarked on or noticed. Interesting. One of the stages of virtue mentioned is reluctance to laugh - waiting to be invited to talk before joining in conversation being another: interesting sometimes how people sometimes say they've enjoyed a conversation and it's really been a monologue...


Still, for having friends and being in situations where they feel able to talk to/at you

Molto Grazie!

A church somewhere in West London...(!)

'Oh divine Master: may I not so much seek to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand...'


My Mum has definitely prayed that: it's been in her bathroom for over 20 years...